Thursday, August 05, 2010

Hindhead hold-up

Work on the Hindhead tunnel, scheduled to open in August 2011 is to be held up indefinitely following the discovery of incredible fossil remains under the Surrey hills.

The new tunnel was expected to bring long-awaited relief to commuters on the congested A3 and now all this has been put on hold following the discovery of a dinosaur.

Most of the 600 or so construction staff who work at the site have been told not to return to work this week, only those working on the approach roads are able to continue working on the project.

The finished tunnel is expected to cost £371 million, incredibly the work will be halted by a monster that roamed the area 66 million years ago.

The tunnel is 1.2 miles in length; and at its deepest point it descends 65 metres beneath the surface of the land beside the Devil's Punch Bowl. It is at this depth that the find has been made.

Normally during such a huge and expensive engineering project, work would not be halted for any sort of archaeological find, but this specimen is of huge significance.

What sets this creature apart from its contemporaries is its size. Terry Dactil from the British Museum told us: “If you imagine how a chihuahua would look alongside an alsatian, that is how a Tyrannosaurus Rex would look alongside our new friend. It is immense.”

Polish excavator worker Ivor Gotta was said to be absolutely delighted that he unearthed the creature. He told the world's press: "I know this is bound to hold up the work, but I am delighted to be linked with this discovery.

"I would like to think my name will go down in history, with the beast being named after me."

Dactil was sure Gotta would get his wishes and that the naming of the Ivorgottasaurus will be merely a formality.

Teeth or Stalectites?- A snap taken by a

Romanian worker on his iPhone

We also asked Dactil what he thought about the rumours that workmen claimed they had seen movement down in the tunnel. That several of the workers had rushed from the tunnel, scared out of their wits, vowing not to return.

Dactil laughed at the suggestion: "I have heard these stories and of course this is completely impossible. No creature could possibly have lain in hibernation for so long.

"It is true the specimen is incredibly well-preserved, for reasons we don't yet understand, and the sight of the lifelike remains have possibly scared some of the crew.

"Of course, the workers could just be trying to pull a fast one and get themselves some paid leave.

"I'm sure we will be able to excavate the remains quickly and be back on track with the project before you know it."

Newswire tried to contact Dactil yesterday for an update of the situation, he was unavailable to comment.